An estimated 17 million children in the world lost one or both parents because of AIDS. But that number is pretty hard to comprehend, isn’t it? We can’t quite wrap our minds around 17 million. But we can understand one.

Malika came to us as a fifteen year-old Indian girl who hailed from a poor but happy family. Life for Malika had a comforting routine that included school each day, meals with her family, and the usual inconsequential quarrels with her older sister and her two brothers. Malika had a home, a mother and father, and a sense of belonging.

But everything changed for Malika. First her father and then her mother became ill and died of HIV/AIDS.

MEDICAL UNTOUCHABLES—HIV/AIDS isolates its victims because of ignorance about how it is contracted. So many beautiful children have become segregated from the world around them and wondering if they will live to become adults.

Many of the children in our orphanages for HIV affected children are HIV-positive themselves, having contracted the virus from their mothers.

Others were orphaned when both of their parents died of HIV and AIDS-related complications.

Some have one surviving parent who may be HIV-positive but cannot care for their child.

India is the country with the third highest number of people with HIV in the world. Thousands of children have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS, and are in need of medical and emotional support.

When you sponsor a child affected by HIV/ AIDS, we will work with you individually to select your child.

To protect the privacy of these children, we do not put names with individual photos and case histories of children on our website.

World’s Children currently supports four orphanages in India and one in Ethiopia for children affected by HIV/AIDS.

The children receive nutritious, balanced meals and strict standards of cleanliness and hygiene are observed.

The children receive special medical care

The physical needs of children living with HIV are more extensive and more costly than for children who are HIV-negative.

Because the children have compromised immune systems, disease prevention is critically important.

Blood tests are conducted quarterly, or more often as needed, to check T-cell levels.

This ensures that any child who needs antiretroviral medication gets it in a timely manner.

It is equally important to help the children deal with the challenges they will face as adults due to the social stigma associated with HIV and AIDS.

Since the children do not often have visitors, the staff members provide sports equipment, field trips, social programs, television, and entertainment.